"Ah, there's the back entryway to Heiwa. Just beyond that is Lady Meioshi's home, my lord," Jaken said, pointing downward to the path just beyond the village's back gate. Sesshomaru dove downward until the group landed by a beaten path. Jaken hopped off Moko Moko and started looking around before he turned to Sesshomaru and said, "Before I forget, I have to find two boys. They should have written us a visitor's pass, or at least they should've written mine. Once I get it, we should be able to just walk in."
"Produce them," Sesshomaru said, annoyed that he had to wait.
"Lord Jaken? Is that you over there?" a familiar voice called. Moeru was walking up to them until he saw Sesshomaru standing before him. His mouth hung agape with wonder as he looked at the young lord. He then asked, "Is this the Lord Sesshomaru?"
"Aye, this is me lord," Jaken replied, walking up to Moeru.
"Oh, I should have brought a gift for the occasion! It's so rare to see someone from the House of Inu around these parts," Moeru declared. "Are you here to start a trade relationship, my lord?"
"Actually, we're here to speak with Lady Meioshi. Has she returned yet?" Jaken asked in place of Sesshomaru.
"Hm? You didn't see her on the way here?" Moeru asked, folding his arms. "She just came up this way not too long ago. She was dressed in wintry attire and armor. Pretty tall girl, long dark hair, light brown eyes. She was with a friend."
"What!?" Jaken exclaimed, eyes wide with shock. "Th-th-then that woman from earlier was Meioshi?"
"Ah, so you did see her then," Moeru replied, confirming their shock. He smiled brightly and continued, "Thought maybe you just didn't know it was her. She placed a protection barrier on you. She'll be back round dusk. A situation developed recently that required her immediate attention. I was told to remain at the estate until all was deemed safe, but I wanted to send a warning to the others at my shop. Nasty bunch of attackers are on the loose."
"That sounds serious. Do you suppose those two boys are okay?" Jaken asked, earning Moeru's attention.
"Boys? What boys?" Moeru asked.
"Musuko and Shotaro. They offered to write a guest pass for me yesterday. This was before I met you, of course," Jaken explained.
"Oh, they're probably just at home engaged in play. School was cancelled for the rest of the day due to those recent developments I was telling you about. I think they did write a pass for you, Lord Jaken. Fear not, brother. I can write a pass for Lord Sesshomaru and give you a grand tour of the village. You'd probably enjoy the garden landscapes in the demon area. I think the garden club is still competing in fact," Moeru said with a twinkle in his eye. "Come! I'll show you."
From there, the party of three followed the kappa demon into the back gates of Heiwa. Moeru proved to be an excellent host and tour guide when he led Sesshomaru, Jaken, and Aa and Un to the wealthier portions of the village during the day. A few local women took an interest in Sesshomaru, but he paid them no mind and continued to look at landmarks or other historic sites that Moeru presented to him. Some children ran through the village, excited about not having to worry about school until the leaders deemed it safe.
Though Jaken didn't see the two boys, Shotaro and Musuko, he was relieved to learn that it only took a moment to write Sesshomaru's name on the villagers' list upon entry into the village. The barrier was a little weaker due to Lady Meioshi's return; however, as the day progressed, she strengthened and extended its radius to ensure the safety of other visitors. Having a pass of entry for Heiwa would be ideal to have now. The sudden emergence of a new enemy was causing her estate to fill up with injured travelers; meaning, it would take Sesshomaru and Jaken a little bit longer to formally meet Lady Meioshi with her gaining business, but Moeru was happy that his son wanted to help her as gratitude. It made him tear up dramatically at the mere mention of it. Sesshomaru was hardly disappointed with not meeting the offensive doctor, however, and paid closer attention to the landscaping of the village. The fragrance of the sea air and perfumes of the flowers was so calming.
As they walked through the market, where most demons frequented, Sesshomaru's senses were almost overloaded from the different aromas of food, woodworking, and other occupational hobbies of the day's toils. Many of the demons living in Heiwa recognized Sesshomaru and vice versa, but, unlike the ones Sesshomaru often had to meet because of the political relations involving his father, these high-class demons were friendlier, and some had human and/or halfling admirers, servants, or mates with them. Like Moeru, the demons there wanted to commemorate their day of meeting Sesshomaru, and it seemed to be with genuine surprise and astonishment. It was more or less pleasant (if not a tad boring) since no one was interested in battling him to prove something. The demons in Heiwa were appropriately domesticated. However, Moeru promised to explain why this was the case because it may have had something to do with their investigation. Sesshomaru was interested in this and was becoming impatient as the day rolled by. The reasoning for his impatience had more to do with Heiwa's status as unclaimed territory than anything.
"Ah, Lady Uo!" Moeru called, approaching a curvy woman.
Uo was a demon seductress built like an hourglass and quite proud of her heritage. No one dared challenge that. She wore a red and white kimono that hung off her shoulders and created a sweetheart neckline. The right side of her dress had a long slit that reached up to the top of her hip and two purple ribbons that kept the kimono closed just enough so the wind wouldn't blow her dress open. She had flowing sleeves with black and gold embroidery laid just right so someone could see her family's crest whenever she folded her arms to hold up her proud bosom. Her icy blonde hair was pinned up to create two drooping loops that were perfectly tangent with the slope of her shoulders and at exactly one inch above her shoulders. Her blue lips spread into a curious smile as Moeru stood before her with Sesshomaru and the others just behind him.
She greeted strongly, "Afternoon. Out with the boys then, Moeru?"
"I suppose you could say that, couldn't you?" Moeru asked, scratching the back of his head. "All done with the garden club's fall theme meeting, Lady Uo?"
"I don't know why I put up with it every damn season," Uo remarked, grin changing from curious to more relaxed. "It's all the same shit. Why has Lord Sesshomaru of the West decided to visit this God forsaken town?"
"He's actually here to meet Lady Meioshi. Was he the one you and the others sensed?" Moeru asked.
"If my beloved's barrier wasn't on him before, then yes," Uo answered, grin changing from relaxed to a mixture of happiness and suspicion. "I'd say it was him. He high tailed it outta here as soon as I caught his scent. What does the young lord want with my beloved?"
"Uh, Moeru, a word," Jaken said with a whisper. "Why does this woman keep calling Lady Meioshi her beloved?"
"Ah, Uo is a close friend to the doctor. Demons like Uo use terms such as beloved to sort of show others of her kind that she has claimed someone or something as territory or property. It's meant to be a show of dominance in a way," Moeru explained.
"To deliver a message. Nothing more, nothing less," Sesshomaru answered, unmoved by the politics behind a name. Uo wasn't an inu. Her show of dominance meant nothing. "I've no personal interest with your beloved beyond that."
Uo's grin turned into a soft laugh before returning to its relaxed state. She then said, "Good answer, inu. Feel free to enjoy the last days of the garden club's displays. My beloved has purchased one of my ikebana. You can purchase one as well if you like. If not, fuck you."
With that, Uo laughed then flipped a hanging lock of hair from her bosom before walking away with a grin. Moeru chuckled at Uo's instructions, shaking his head at her blunt wording, and leading them to garden district's ikebana displays. Once nightfall had come, Moeru escorted the party to the guest inn division. No new guests were occupying the buildings due to the recent attacks, so Sesshomaru's party lucked out in having an entire lounge room, bath house, kitchen, and a fairly pristine choice of individual bedrooms to themselves. Of course, Sesshomaru chose probably the nicest guest building within the guest inn division as it was located near the mountains, sea, and a fairly decent-sized castle. The building itself was already luxurious from its design, but Sesshomaru felt more comfortable in it seeing as though it resembled his home. Once Moeru signed Sesshomaru's party in as guests in the book, he gave them a tour of the place and proceeded to lead them into the lounge room. The dragon preferred the backyard gardens.
Moeru had spring water already in cups and a glass pot at the table of the lounge room. He must have arranged the pillows for seating while Jaken and Sesshomaru were choosing rooms. When Sesshomaru sat in his seat, he closed his eyes to relax himself in this new place and let out a small sigh. Jaken was moving around in his room in the distance, so he would either be in the lounge room shortly or he would fall asleep at some point. Either way, he had to speak to Moeru.
"Earlier, you mentioned there was a reason for the cohabitation of demons and humans here," Sesshomaru started, looking at Moeru taking a drink of water before pouring it on his head in pure bliss. He stopped for a second in mid-joy and slowly moved his eyes to the young lord to wait for him to continue. Sesshomaru was immediately reminded of Jaken and had to fight the urge to hit Moeru, so he continued, "Why did you wait to tell me this in the night?"
"Because Lady Meioshi's family is largely responsible for this," Moeru replied, still frozen in his mid-joy position but speaking as though he were sitting straight up. Now that the conversation was becoming more serious, Moeru put his hands down and instead rested them on his lap to speak. "Jaken mentioned upon our first meeting that he was looking for Lady Meioshi because a demon from the Netherworld was hunting her down. I imagine you must have encountered it beforehand. Seeing as though you have Lady Meioshi's barrier on your person, she must have seen Jaken's name on the villagers' list prior to leaving this morning and recognized my description of him. The village children must have described the dragon to her as well."
Jumping to the moment when he saw Meioshi, Sesshomaru was immediately reminded of that butterfly touch that came with the barrier. Annoyed at that, he growled lowly at the offensive gesture and asked, "How exactly is that thing responsible for the lifestyles here?"
"Jigoku kara inochi o sukuu," Moeru replied with a small hiss, gaining Sesshomaru's attention. "Save a life from hell. That is the true surname of Meioshi's family as we, demons, have known it. The humans here, though not nearly as prejudiced as the ones that I've crossed paths with, shortened that name to the more disgraceful Jigoku. In doing so, Lady Meioshi is cursed with the name of hell doctor. Meioshi's ancestors are known to travel in the depths of hell for pure reasons as the true name suggests. Starting with Unmei, a human soldier who discovered a certain plant that repelled most of the weaker demons and some stronger ones by scent alone. Once that plant was burned by a wildfire, Unmei took note to the number of demons that wouldn't dare touch the area and used the burned remains to make a paint that was smeared on homes and tents for protection. He became the first human from this village gifted with the knowledge of how to control and battle the strongest of demons using purification methods unheard of without divine weaponry or magical items. He took records of his discoveries with time until the day his close friend and comrade was trapped in a mirror. This particular item took the soul of anyone who looked upon it, and the demon who possessed that mirror threw the item into an unknown level of hell. Without a second thought, Unmei went after his friend and successfully entered the land of shadow and death without dying himself. This shocked the demon, and Unmei was able to release his friend's soul with a powerful incantation, but the friend perished because it was too deep in hell for a human to escape. Heartbroken by the loss, Unmei pleaded for the gods to rest his friend's soul among them, and that single act of purity gained their favor. He was granted a silver spear and control of the ogre who trapped his friend's soul in the mirror. Unmei's powers have been passed down from generation to generation as a result, and Lady Meioshi possesses the same pureness as Unmei. The only problem is she's going to a level deeper than Unmei ever had to travel, and no one knows why."
"If her ancestor went to hell to save a life, Lady Meioshi must be doing the same, correct?" Jaken asked.
He was standing at the doorway of the lounge room for a little while now to quietly listen to Moeru's story. Jaken came in right when Moeru spoke of Meioshi's ancestors. He walked over to his seat once Moeru hummed in response and slowly nodded. Sesshomaru merely observed the man's body language. Moeru seemed to have some doubts of Meioshi's actual intentions for travelling through hell the way she has been doing for the time he's known her. If she was saving a life and the soul was trapped so deep in hell, was that soul truly worth saving?
Sesshomaru then spoke and asked, "I have been to hell before to save someone precious to me. I imagine this person is precious to her. Is it so strange for her to go through any length to save this person?"
"She's not just saving one person," Moeru said remorsefully, looking into his empty cup of water. "I believe it too naïve to simplify her intentions in such a manner."
_________________________________________________
"This is so stupid!" Ichi complained, folding his arms as he practically stomped through the snow.
While not feeling guilty for potentially causing things to be worse, Ichi did feel obligated to ensure Yuko's safety. He was loyal to Yamashi ever since the two met when they were younger, and he wouldn't let some beast from hell ruin or change that because it tried to kill Yamashi's wife. Ichi and Yuko rarely got along because of Ichi's past of being bullied for being half-human. Unfortunately, this often caused tension to rise between him and Yamashi. Though Yamashi was typically patient and forgiving, if Ichi did anything that caused her to be harmed, he was sure Yamashi would lose those good qualities immediately and successfully kill him. Yamashi was powerful, especially when angered. Ichi had seen his friend's strength multiple times. He never wanted to be on the receiving end, so he usually calmed down enough to where he grumbled to show a hint of politeness. As he trekked through the snow, he started to wonder about the nuisance he called a friend in the form of Yuko.
She was in a hurry when she left the farmlands, but she had anti-demon items on her person that somehow melted the snow around her. At least that's what it looked like it did. For whatever reason, he could see very clearly that the snow was being pushed away from her before it melted. It was like wind and flame were working together to do so. Since Yuko was gone for at least two nights now, Ichi allowed himself to worry with her absence and the snow's prevalence. The summer crops were going to burn up and die out if the snow continued. Something might have also happened to the doctor. Meioshi was usually quick to react when something affected her herbal garden. She was adamant about keeping those offensive plants safe, especially with them being so close to her sacred shrine. With a careless eye, one would only see a small hill underneath an overcast of shadow from some cliffs, but he's heard rumors that Meioshi had climbed out of hell through that very entrance.
Hearing a low growl coming from the forest, Ichi turned his attention to it before deciding to investigate. It was the opposite direction of where he was traveling, but he wanted to protect the farmlands and his own wife. Ichi cautiously walked over to the forest, which was now covered in thick snow as though it were winter and stopped when he heard rustling in the thickets. He could smell it. The burning spice and bone of hell was in the air. Abruptly, a creature leapt out at him and tried to strike, but Ichi's speed allowed him steady work in dodging the attack and using his claws to dig into the creature's flesh. It was arctic like the snow! The blood on his hand sent chills down his fingertips before the sensation crawled up his arm. He watched as the blood formed into black ice on his hand.
"Son of a bitch!" Ichi cursed, rapidly covering his hand with fire cloth.
"You... you were with Yuko..." the creature hissed.
"W - What?" Ichi questioned, eyes widening from surprise.
He didn't know the creature could talk. Once he saw other creatures like the one Ichi struck, Ichi immediately went on the defense. The supposed leader of the group of wolves growled before holding up an orb of power. He then said, "The master wants the sword back. You will be the one to get it."
"What is it about this sword that's got hell so worked up anyway?" Ichi demanded, glaring at the black-eyed wolf creature. "I know for a fact that Meioshi doesn't steal! If you want anything back, she'll hand it off like it's just paper. How about you just ask?"
"The sword purifies lost souls," the leader replied. "We protect it from the wrong hands."
"Lost souls?" Ichi questioned.
No sooner than he could ask another question for clarity did the arctic orb held by the leader glow brightly to hypnotize Ichi. The leader snarled at his new victim and rushed to Ichi's still form to bite him in his neck and inject Ichi with a venom. Ichi's yelp from pain echoed through the forest, but it was quickly silenced when ice covered his entire body. The leader released Ichi and leapt away from him to watch as Ichi's yoki power was absorbed by the cast of ice. Cracking was heard after a few moments, and the cast broke with Ichi under the Netherland wolf's control.
"Get my sword," the wolf's voice demanded.
____________________________________________________
Despite the fact that the snow falling was more like bits of glass than the soft ice she knew and loved, Meioshi could honestly say that there was some beauty hidden underneath hell's light snowfall. Though she would rather enjoy the summer months of Heiwa, the doctor seemed to mind the snow of Koridetudi less as she had become intimate with hell's frosty climate in recent months. All this trouble over a sword! She wasn't sure why Kako Seigi wanted her to find it, but he promised to explain it to her when he returned to mortal soil. Poor Yuko was in a panic when Meioshi returned home.
"Meioshi!" Yuko called, running into her friend's arms. When she released her, Yuko gripped Meioshi's arms and looked her in the eyes to question, "What did you do to piss off hell's guard dog? It's been looking for you! Do you have it's sword?"
"A sword?" Meioshi asked for clarification. Once she realized what Yuko was referring to, she replied, "Oh, the sword! Yes, I have it. I was asked to retrieve it. I didn't know it was being guarded. You came into contact with this creature?"
"Yes, it was angry!" Yuko argued, pinching the doctor's cheeks.
"Ow! What'd I do?" Meioshi asked with tears in her eyes.
"You took its sword, you fool!" Yuko shouted, releasing her friend's cheeks. "What do you need the sword for anyway?"
"The master only said that I needed it for a mission," Meioshi responded, rubbing her cheeks cutely. "He was awfully cryptic about it, so all I could do was trust him until the time came for his explanation. It looks like it's something important, however. He is interested in something about the sword. It's a divine weapon, but it's being guarded by a creature in hell. I suppose that's what has him puzzled."
"That is quite strange," Yuko said, looking down at the floor. "But the creature is capable of speaking... and... I think... it's looking for someone else, too. Not just you but another. Maybe you look like that person as well."
"Ah, you spoke to this guardian?" Meioshi asked, folding her arms in her long sleeves. "So, it has a recognition of older women, or at least women who were older than it in the past."
"Older women?" Yuko questioned, furrowing her eyebrows with annoyance.
Meioshi chuckled at Yuko's reaction and said, "If you think you're old, I must be ancient by comparison. I meant the soul of this guardian spirit. It must recognize older women as one would a sister or mother. Your bedside voice must have reminded it of a past relationship it had with an older girl or woman. It didn't try to attack you, it seems. It was just angered by the missing sword. Hell must have tainted an otherwise pure guardian spirit."
"Poor thing..." Yuko whispered. "I hope you can help it. It didn't seem like a bad spirit to me. In fact, it looked surprised when we were trying to help it. Like it never had help before. Maybe that's why it's a wolf. It felt lonely, so it took that form."
"We?" Meioshi questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Yuko nodded and then replied, "There was another demon that protected it from Ichi's attack. That idiot tried to go after it!"
"What did the demon look like?" Meioshi asked, keeping a mental note.
"He had beautiful silver hair practically resting on his ankles, a large fur pelt on his shoulder, white clothes, armor strictly on his torso, and a few swords at his hip. He wasn't a typical soldier, but he seemed like a high-class warrior. His eyes were like Yamashi's but more the color of your eyes if not brighter," Yuko described, trying to remember more distinctive details. "He did have markings on his face like that crescent moon on his forehead and those stripes on his cheeks."
"That's quite a fashion statement," Meioshi said once Yuko stopped, nodding her head downward with some interest and a light chuckle. "Sounds like he would've been quite the catch if you weren't already taken."
"Oh, hush!" Yuko argued, blushing and slapping Meioshi's shoulder. "I love my Yamashi! I don't need another headache called another man!"
"Alright, alright!" Meioshi said, holding up her hands to cease her teasing. "I'll keep an eye out for him then. If nothing else, I might discover his alliances. Something tells me he was simply stopping Ichi from being too rash."
Just as Yuko said, the protector of the arctic wolf guardian flew overhead this afternoon while she was out on patrol. She caught no wind with the scent of blood from the village lingering in the currents, so the unnamed guardian spirit that she saw was still neutral, but he would catch on that he was looking for her eventually. Either he would find Yuko, or the barrier would expel him once she regained her full powers again. It was simply a matter of time like many things that occur in life. He truly was elegant, though. Yuko held no fib about his clothing, but Meioshi hadn't expected such a beautiful flying creature. Though she couldn't see the white guardian spirit clearly from the obviously large distance, she didn't particularly care for his appearance as much as she admired the way he flew. It was inspiring in a way. He seemed so... carefree, ethereal, and whimsical. He didn't skip in the air like a butterfly or hover like a dragonfly. He wasn't a busy bee or hummingbird going from one spot to the next for food. He was one with the currents of the wind. Meioshi supposed that quality of the spirit is what would make him attractive to a young girl if he wasn't married already.
Hearing a rustling sound before a low growl resonated along the earth, Meioshi stopped walking and became more alert as she poised herself for possible battle. The familiar sharpness of the wind and snow was cutting at her armor, but she found she was more impressed by its volatile nature being maintained in the living world than anything else. What she saw emerge from the small height of snow, however, fascinated her to a different degree. It had fur on its back with a coating of snow mixing in the pronounced hairs. The claws on this new creature were larger than a normal man's hands but they were the shape of a human's hands. The barreled chest and abdominals of the creature were a bluish gray in skin color with a thick patch of fur across the chest and on the shoulders. The eyes of the humanoid creature were completely black with only a dot of light in them. The legs on it were thick and muscular, but the feet were more like a canine's back paws. The face was trapped in a snarling grimace as it bared its yellowing fangs at her. Without a second thought, Meioshi called the Kaishi Novum to her hand and twirled the shorthand spear in her hand before parting her legs to assume a defensive position.
The creature was quick on its feet much like a hunting wolf. As it tore through the snow and warped through space, Meioshi took a deep breath, waited calmly, and dodge rolled away from the swift strike of the creature. This gave her an opening to clip the creature at his ankles and cut at its back with the spearhead. When she disarmed it enough, all that could be heard in the night was pained cries of the wolfman...